Brought to you with the support of OC Events, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SQUALLS AND SUN FOR THE START IN CORK
The second leg of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro from Crosshaven to Brest got underway today after a general recall ordered when a number of the boats crossed the start line before the gun went off; the 50 solo sailors competing finally made a clean start in the light and varied conditions in the Bay of Cork at precisely 11h26 local time.

The 6-mile inshore course was made up of a 2-mile upwind tack followed by a short reach and final downwind run to the Radio France offset mark. The boats starting on the Committee Boat end of the start line, closer to shore, found slightly more pressure, giving them a chance to break away for an early lead in the light 5-knot breeze.

Things were not looking so good for those who started on the left hand side of the line, most notably for Espoir Credit Agricole skippered (Christopher Pratt), Gerald Veniard's Scutum, Pietro D'Ali (Kappa) and Etienne Svilarich (Grain de Soleil). By the time Gavottes (Jean-Pierre Nicol), the last boat to reach the radio France mark, the gap between Foncia had built to 40 minutes.

The forecast southwest breeze is freshening as the fleet continue to make headway to the Fastnet Rock, a course mark to be left to port, that is due to be reached tonight. Conditions should then strengthen for the spinnaker sprint south to Ushant. -- Sabina Mollart-Rogerson

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) - leading on the 2nd leg from Crosshaven to Brest

"It was not an easy start; very technical and then a big cloud came in just over a fleet of 18s at the entrance to Crossahven, so we could see they had good breeze; heading in we made a great gain from the start. We now have the South West breeze, which was forecast, so a bit more work to do to get to the Fastnet. Passing the bay of Kinsale now, which is very pretty. This is an area I know well from previous stopovers on the race. I can see Le Comptoir Immobilier and Cercle Vert just behind, so have my work cut out for me."

www.lasolitaire.com

SOLING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Arendal, Norway: Friday had clear skies for the first time at the 2007 APL Soling European Championship, the wind came in slowly from the South west, with two general recalls, the race started with 7 knots of wind, SLO1 with Bostjan Antoncic, Gennadi Skrath and Sergey Pichuguin took an early lead over T-mobile team HUN 77 with George Wossala, Karoly Vezer and Peter Nemeth.

The 2007 APL European championship finished in great style, with surfing conditions with big waves and a nice south west breeze with 14 to 15 knots. It was a fight in between SLO 1 , GER 304 and ARG 32(Team Edding) who was back in the fleet, ITA 198 with Andy Vincon, Thomas Oldbrich, Peter Dorsch achieved a good result now fighting for a place at the podium, and had the opportunity since the beginning of the race when they observed like the jury in the water, a helmsman change during race inside the SLO1, and presented the protest taking the victory from SLO 1 hands. The crew / helmsman substitution in the Soling is possible but jury permission is requested and a substitution has to happen instead of switching positions inside the boat only. GER 304 then became the European Champion, and team Edding climbed into second. ITA 198 team BMS achieved the third place at the APL Europeans, SLO1 finish fourth, followed by T-mobile team and the dutch team NED 33 Rudy den Outer, Leo Determan and Ronald den Arend finish sixth.

The Reloaded trophy donated by the ASF to the ISA as perpetual trophy to the best placed woman in the event was won by Susanne Kuchta.

The BSA trophy for the young helm age 25 and under was won by Jorgen Stromquist from NOR 139

10 boats sailed the classic category for boats built before January 1st of 1980 and the winner was ITA 198 who also finished third overall, the second was the Italian boat 201 with Michele Tognozzi, Giuliano Carotti and Andrea Maramai, at the third position was USA 807 with Matias Collins, Pablo Noceti and Pontus Berglund.

The new Rien Segaar trophy for the last of the best, went to GER 300 with Roman Koch, Maxl Koch and Gregor Borneman who was the third GER boat the country with best pointing under the deed of gift rules for the prize. -- Matias Collins

Top 10 results
1. Thomas Maschkiwitz / Christian Oehler / Christoph Wossala, GER, 35
2. Gustavo Warburg / Maximo Smith/ Miguel Lacour, ARG, 38
3. Andreas Vincon / Thomas Olbrich / Peter Dorsch, ITA, 45
4. Bostjan Antoncic / Sergej Pichugin / Gennadi Strakh, SLO, 50
5. George Wossala / Karoly Vezer / Nemeth Peter, HUN, 55
6. Rudy den Outer / Leo Determan / Ronald den Arend, NED, 63
7. Johan Offermans / Bas Dusee / Oliver Dusee, NED, 73
8. Holger Weichert / Laurent Scheel / Martin Setzkorn, GER, 85
9. Roman Koch / Maxl Koch / Gregor Bornemann, GER, 87
10. Preben Asbjornrod / Richard Fikse / Hans Jorgen Husum, NOR, 89

Complete Results at
www.soling.com/results/ShowResults.asp?ID=392

Event website: www.solingeuropeans.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANCK CAMMAS & CREW ON "GROUPAMA III"
Gori propeller is the chosen brand of propeller for high performance multi hulls and grand prix yachts, including GROUPAMA III, which broke the record crossing the Atlantic in less than 4 days, with an average speed of 28.1 knots.

Gori propeller when folded does not auto rotate, and has the lowest drag of all sailboat propellers. Find out more at www.gori-propeller.com

VOLVO DRAGON EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunny skies and light southwesterly winds greeted the Dragon sailors on the first day of the Volvo Dragon European Championships in Hanko, Finland. The race committee, headed by Kalle Niemi, had to wait for half an hour until the wind was stable enough for a start. The first and second attempt for a start were doomed to failure, as the greedy sailors were way over the line at the committee boat end. At the third attempt, the fleet got away cleanly and spread all over the coastline outside the fortress island of Russar0.

At the first windward mark, the talented German racer Markus Wieser at the helm of the Ukranian dragon Bunker Queen had pulled away into an unassailable lead.

The final run was a rather boring port-tack parade. Wieser got the gun by a minute and a half, banging the clock at 2 hours and 29 minutes. Quite a day's work, but still far from the enormous maximum time of five hours allowed in the sailing instructions. In second place came Shayduko who outsmarted Lofterod at the final bottom gate. Next came Vokhmintzev, Dahlman. Wallenberg and Alexander, in close pursuit. Looking at the final list of results, it shows a good mixture of Scandinavian, Russian and Continental sailors. Everything looks set for an exciting continuation of the Volvo Dragon European Championship. -- Henry Ericsson

www.dragoneuropeans.org

* Photos by Henry Ericsson at scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=204

COUTTS CONTINUES ATTACK ON CUP CHANGES
Oracle Racing's new skipper, New Zealander Russell Coutts has continued the American syndicate's attack on the conditions for the 2009 America's Cup, saying defenders Alinghi should scrap rule changes.

At the same time Team Germany has confirmed they will launch another bid for yachting's biggest prize, taking the number of challengers in the next regatta to five.

Team Germany's intention to return to Valencia means they will join a fleet that so far also includes Team New Zealand, Spain's Desafio Espanol, South Africans Shosholoza and Britain's new Team Origin.

The Germans, in their cup debut, came second-last among the 11 challengers in this year's regatta, and syndicate boss Michael Scheeren said it was important to build on the experience gained.

Coutts today argued for a return to the previous document.

"The solution is very simple: go back to a protocol that made the last edition so successful," he told AFP after competing in the King's Cup off the Spanish island of Mallorca.

"Nobody really gave a justification for this new unacceptable protocol."

Coutts cited one concern as being the disadvantage the challengers' were under in not knowing the class rule for the new yacht until October 31.

"It's very difficult," he said.

"We have no idea of the design of the new boat." -- Stuff.co.nz: www.stuff.co.nz/4154969a1823.html

LYSEKIL WOMEN'S MATCH
Lysekil, Sweden: In her third attempt to win the Lysekil Women's Match, Swede Linda Rahm and her Team Stena Bulk - Therese Torgersson, Helena Barne, Anna Nordlander, Annika Olsson and Vendela Zachrisson - succeeded. With three victories and only one loss in the final against former ISAF world ranking leader Marie Bjorling, she secured SEK 100 000 (USD 15 000), 25 percent of the largest prize purse in women's matchracing

Tens of thousands of people on the granite rocks of the beautiful Swedish Westcoast archipelago followed and cheered the final matches of the 2007 Lysekil Women's Match, sailed Saturday afternoon. The final ended up an all Swedish affair, after Linda Rahm defeated reigning champion Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen from Denmark 3-0 in their semi final, and Marie Bjorling beat Katie Spithill from Australia in a really close fight in the other semi final, ending 3-2 in matches.

Final results:
1. Linda Rahm, SWE
2. Marie Bjorling, SWE
3. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN
4. Katie Spithill, AUS
5. Jenny Axhede, SWE
6. Malin Millbourn, SWE
7. Silja Lehtinen, FIN
8. Nina Braestrup, DEN
9. Liz Baylis, USA
10. Silke Hahlbrock, GER
11. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN
12. Delphine Casas, FRA

www.lysekilwomensmatch.se

NEW NX1000 POCKET VHF FROM NEXUS MARINE
...the all-new, pocket-sized NX1000 is the perfect VHF for the racing sailor who wants to listen out for the committee boat without the hassle of a chunky VHF weighing him down. Incorporating the latest electronic circuitry and fully waterproof, the NX1000 uses standard AA batteries for added convenience while still giving 16 hours of operation with normal use. Added features include a large, easy-to-read screen, dual watch monitoring and a tough, rubberised outer casing. Available at all good chandleries, the NX1000 has an RRP of 69.95 pounds including VAT / 89 euros plus tax.

www.nexusmarine.se

SECONDS DECIDE IN SIMRAD ONESTAR
After 110 nautical miles it was only seconds between the top contenders in Simrad OneStar. Trond Aasvoll, Arendal Seilforening, is in the lead in this unofficial Nordic solo championship.

The winner off the offshore race, taking the solo sailors from Fredrikstad and over to Arendal on the south coast of Norway, knew he was in for a though job when he started.

"The autopilot broke in the coastal race on Saturday. I knew it would be 24 hours of hard work but I didn't expect it to be this hard. I never left the wheel. I'm totally beat", says Trond Asvoll.

But all the long hours behind the wheel of his Bavaria 38 Siw Bonita paid off. He finished 33 seconds on corrected time before Swede Jonas Claesson, sailing his Humphreys 30.

Aasvoll is now leading Simrad OneStar with one leg left.

Simrad OneStar is a five day long event that started from Fredrikstad, Norway with a 35 nautical coastal race for the 30 solo sailors from Norway and Sweden. Sunday morning they sailed 110 nautical mile long stretch down the east coast of Sweden and over Skagerrak to Arendal, Norway.

After some hours of well earned rest the sailors will again embark on the 80 nautical mile stretch back to Fredrikstad. The unofficial Nordic Championship in solo sailing will finish with a prize ceremony in Race Village Fredrikstad Wednesday August 8th.

SEILmagasinet will cover the event 24/7 on the internet with text, blogs, pictures and WebTV. All the boats are equipped with tracking devices from Guard Systems that lets the armchair curmudgeons enjoy the adventure in a dry and safe environment. -- Jon Amtrup

See www.simrad-onestar.com for more information and www.seilmagasinet.no/id/24524 for WebTV footage.

CORK WEEK 2008
"Competing at Cork Week is always a pleasure, because of the beautiful location, great sailing waters, varied racing, excellent race management and great competition. Winning in 2006 was especially satisfying as it was our first major victory in Magic Glove after many months of development, building and tuning. I'm already looking forward to 2008".

Colm Barrington - Magic Glove
Winner of IRC Zero and Boat of the Week

12th - 18th July 2008
www.corkweek.ie

INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE DE MATCH RACING
Aussie youngster Torvar Mirsky sprung a big surprise to take the title at the ISAF Grade 1 Internationaux de France de Match-Racing in Pornichet, France. Mirsky outgunned defending champion and fomer world #1 Sebastien Col (FRA) 2-1 in the final to take the title.

The final races in Pornichet took place in a light southerly of 5-7 knots, but that did nothing to stop the progress of 21 year old Mirsky, sailing with Kinley Fowler, Tudur Owen and Graeme Spence. After coming back from 1-0 down to beat Damien Iehl (FRA) in the semi-final, he repeated the feat against Areva Challenge helm Col to announce his arrival of the world match racing scene.

'It was an excellent day, and we really sailed very well,' said the new holder of the Manu Minard Trophy, before revealing it is the first time he had sailed on the J/80s used in Pornichet. He added, 'We are not accustomed to doing many Grade 1 events and we were very happy to be invited. The organization of the event was perfect and from now on we want to return every year!'

World #2 Mathieu Richard (FRA) did not have his best event, finishing seventh overall, but still had plenty of praise for the young Australian stars. 'Torvar is really the revelation of the regatta,' he said. 'It is a new crew full of potential which has sailed exceptionally well from the first day to the last.'

In the petit-final Eugeniy Neugodnikov (RUS) defeated Damien Iehl (FRA) 2-0 to take third overall. -- ISAF, sailing.org

Final overall places:

1. Torvar Mirsky, AUS
2. Sebastien Col, FRA
3. Eugeniy Neugodnikov, RUS
4. Damien Iehl, FRA
5. Victor Lanier, FRA
6. Mads Ebler, DEN
7. Mathieu Richard, FRA
8. Martin Angsell, SWE
9. Ian Ainslie, RSA
10. Jure Orel, SLO
11. Johnie Berntsson, SWE
12. Marek Stanczyk, POL

www.ifmr.fr

ISA SPEEDSURFING GRAND PRIX FUERTEVENTURA
A great speedsailing event came to an end Saturday, with both event titles going away only by the last race. Finian Maynard (BVI. F2) had a clear event lead before the final day as Karin Jaggi (SUI, F2, North) had in the womens fleet.

The event started calm with calima winds from the wrong direction, and all the riders, officials and spectators were cooking on the beach with 47 degree. So the first three event days went over without any action on the water.

65 riders from 19 nations had registered for this second leg of the 2007 speed windsurfing world tour, including world champion and world record holder Finian Maynard, slalom world champion Antoine Albeau (FRA) and 36 time world champion Bjorn Dunkerbeck, now starting for Switzerland.

The women's fleet was also strong with speed world champion Karin Jaggi and her strongest opponent Valerie Ghibaudo (FRA, Loft Sails). Also on the start Great Britains Zara Davis, nautical mile world record since last year.

Overall Ranking after six rounds:
Men
1. Antoine Albeau, FRA
2. Patrik Diethelm, ITA
3. Finian Maynard, BVI
4. Bjorn Dunkerbeck, SUI
5. Jose Bahadour, GOU

Women
1. Karin Jaggi, SUI
2. Valerie Ghibaudo, FRA
3. Zara Davis, GBR

The final event of the 2007 season, will take place from 2nd of September until 11th of September in Walvis Bay, Namibia.

www.speedsurfing.org

TALL SHIPS' RACES 2007
Szczecin, Poland: The Jubilee Sailing Trust's ship, Lord Nelson, has won the Sail Training International Friendship Trophy at the final prize giving of The Tall Ships' Races 2007 in the Baltic.

The Friendship Trophy epitomises the objective of The Tall Ships' Race and is awarded to the vessel which, in the opinion of the entire race fleet through a secret ballot, has done most to help further international understanding and friendship during the races.

Lord Nelson is a very special ship that promotes the integration of people of all physical abilities through the challenge and adventure of tall ship sailing. The Jubilee Sailing Trust owns and operates two Tall Ships, LORD NELSON, and TENACIOUS. These magnificent ships are the only two vessels in the world that have been purpose-designed and built to enable a crew of mixed physical abilities to sail side by side on equal terms.

The full results and prize list are available the Sail Training International website: www.sailtraininginternational.org/page.asp?partid=809

The Tall Ships' Races are organised by Sail Training International and supported by the City, Port and Province of Antwerp.

J/133S AT YARMOUTH
Five J/133s (the 43 footer from J Boats) gathered in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight on the weekend of the 28th and 29th of July to race in their first ever one-design regatta. It was hosted by the Royal Solent Yacht Club. Six races were scheduled over the two days of the regatta under the Race Management expertise of PRO George Chapman.

The J/133 has already proved itself under the IRC Rule but for this event it was decided that the boats would race on a level rating basis. This effectively meant that there were no overlapping headsails (although 95% of the boats in the UK do not use these anyway) and the maximum spinnaker area for the regatta was 170 square metres.

The overall event was won by Stewart Hawthorn and his crew on Jump. In his speech Stewart thanked the Royal Solent Yacht Club for their superb hospitality and also the PRO George Chapman and his team for their excellent race management. The event was put together by Malcolm Thorpe, himself a Royal Solent member and the owner of the J/133 King Louie. This was the first J/133 level rating event but all agreed that the close one-design racing was fantastic. A return to Yarmouth next year and other J/133 events are planned. -- Becci Eplett

* Photos by Becci Eplett in the Eurobutt Gallery:
scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=203

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From Axel Peemoller: I have a difficult question, in 2003 I crewed up on a schooner named Attu in Darwin Australia, we sailed with the Captain Don to Indonesia, he continued his journey along Malaysia where Attu sunk, Don survived, we did have contact after the accident. Last thing I heard is that he returned to America. I would love to get back into contact with him. If there is any chance for you for find out about him, and forward this message to him, i would be very thankfull. i am writing to you because i found a brief article about the accident on this website: www.boats.com/news-reviews/article/scuttlebutt-europe-october-24-2199

-- Axel's email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you can help.

THE LAST WORD
Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action. -- George Washington

OC Events, www.ocevents.org , organisers of two major IMOCA 60 oceanic events, the new double-handed Barcelona World Race 2007, and the original solo transocean race, The Transat 2008 (ex-OSTAR) plus the Extreme 40 Sailing Series for The iShares Cup.

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